Conduit



y 1,936! I w. A. WALSLEBEN 2,049,184.

CONDUIT Filed Aug. 21, 1954 INVENTOR n'. A. WALSLEBEN -RmeW' I ATTORNEY Patented July 28, 1936 CONDUIT William A. Walsleben, Hempstead, N. Y., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporatcd, New York, New York Application August 21,

l 5, Claims.

' This invention relates to conduits and more particularly to conduits such as are used for the installation of electrical conductors.

Installations of telephones, fans, electrical refrigerators and. other comparable apparatus in ofices and .for domestic uses arev often of a semipermanent nature, being for example permanent through a lease tenancy ofthe premises but not intended to last through the lift of the building. Hence such apparatus and especially the electrical conductors which serve them must be installed so as to be protected'safely and yet easily removable. Furthermore, and particularly in the case of the conductors, these installations must be so arranged as to be sightly, unobtrusive and not liable either to be damaged or to cause damage or annoyance. Itis also important that means be provided whereby the'conduit may be conveniently opened after installation to permit of additions toor subtractions-from the number of conductors contained therein without liability of damage to the conductors. V

An object of the present invention is to provide a conduit for the housing of electrical con- (meters on floors particularly but also on other surfaces which shall-be simple'and easy to manufacture and to install, unobtrusive and sightly in use, shall afford complete protection to conductors housed therein and shall present no abruptnesses of contour apt to'cause tripping thereover or to interferewith the moving of furniture and the like or with housecleaning operations.

With this and other objects in view a preferred form of the invention contemplates a conduit comprising three principal generally channel shaped members, two of which. one within the other','faoe upwards, and the third facesdownwardwith its downwardly extending sides interposedbetween-and frictionally held by the up- Wardly extending sides of the first two, the sides ofthe outermost upwardly facing member being extended, everted and bent down to form gently sloping ramps. If desired, screws or other means maybe provided to fasten the whole to a supporting. surface,'the heads of the screws being N. Y., a corporation of 1934, Serial No. 740,730

with the invention, and with conductorspositioned therein; 1.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. l with the conductors omitted, and i Fig. 3is a similar view of a modified form. v In the embodiment of. the invention disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2, the conduit comprises three principal generally channel shaped metal mem'- bers 20, 30 and ll]. The'base member 20 has a flat horizontalcentral floor portion turned up along each side to form upstanding side walls 2| and 22. The side Walls are formed with integral outwardly and downwardlyextending ramps 23 and 24. I

The liner member 30 is a plain channel'member having a flat floor and integral upturned side walls 3| and 32, and the roof member 40 is also a plain channel member having a flat central roof portion and integral downwardly depending side walls 4| and 42. v e l The liner member 30 is positioned within the channel part of the base member 20 with the floor of the liner resting on the floor of the base and the walls 3| and 32 of the linerextending up parallel to and respectively equidistantly spaced from the corresponding side walls 2| and 22 of the base. l l

The roof member 40 is positioned with its depending side walls 4! and 42 extending down between the upstanding side walls of the liner and base, the wall-42 coming between the walls 22 and 32 and the wall 4| between the Walls 2| and 3|.

The floor of the liner is perforated-at intervals along its central line with holes 35'having chamfered or peripherally depressed edges for the reception of the correspondingly conical heads of attaching screws 60 driven into a floor or wall or the like 10, the heads of the screws being thus countersunk flush with the floor of the space 5!]. The screws pass through corresponding somewhat enlarged apertures 25 in the floor of the base;

lhe several parts are preferably so proportioned that the walls of the roof are respectively frictionally gripped and held between the corresponding walls of the liner and base. Thus the space50 inside is thoroughly protected. Dust, Water or other foreign matter entering fortuitously is trapped in the spaces 5! and 52, and water will be drained off through the screw clearance holes 25in the floor of the base.

Preferably the base 20 is so formed that the lateral extremities 29 and 28 of the ramps 23 and 24 extend somewhat below the plane of the bottom of the base. Thus, when the base is fastended down on a floor or other surface, the edges 29 and 28 are forced into close contact with the surface.

In installing the conduit, the base member 20 is firstlaid in place and the liner 30 positioned therein. The screws 60 are then driven which looks the two members in position on the supporting surface and also relatively to each other.

" Insulated conductors 80 may then be laid in the trough of the member 30. The roof member is.

then forced into position.

In assembling or installing conduits of this general nature with conductors therein, it is important that there be no opportunity for nipping, shearing or otherwise damaging the conductors as the parts of the conduit are fitted "or the edges of the walls M and 42 to damage conductors located in the space 50; v v

When the conduit is installed on a floor,.the ramps 23 and 24 prevent tripping over the conduit and also permit furniture and the like to be easily pushed over it. If theconduit is made large and of relatively thick material the outer edge of the ramp may be chamfered as at 26 (Fig. 2) to obviate'any abruptly upstanding surface, but if the material be thin and light this edge may be left square as shown at 21 (Fig. 2).

In the embodiment disclosed above the three membersare thought of as. continuous and of equal length with each other, but either the member 20 or the member 30 may be made'dissheathing the side walls of the roof member in spaces separatedfrom the conductor space 50.

Thus in either construction disclosed the. base unit comprising members 20 and 30 in Figs. 1

and 2 orv onlymember 20 in" Fig. 3 presents a conductor receiving space which is separate from the spaces adapted to receive the side walls of the roof member 40. Furthermore the embodiment disclosed in Figs. 1 andf2 may be considered as'consisting ofa conduit unit proper and a base unit, the conduit unit whose primary function is to encloseand protect the conductors The embodiments of the invention herein disclosed are merely illustrative and may be modified and departed from in many ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out in and limited only by 5 the appended claims. 7

What is claimed is: p 7

1. A conduit for housing conductors comprising a base member having a floor and side walls integral therewith and upstanding therefrom and 10 ramp members integral with the side walls and extending outwardly and downwardly therefrom,

a liner member positioned within the base mem-- ber and having upstanding side walls integral therewith and parallel to and respectively spaced '15 from the side walls of the base member, and a roof member havingd'epending side walls respectively positioned between a side wall'of thebase member and'a side wall of the liner member.

g 2. A conduit for'housingconductors comprising a generally channel shaped base member having a flat floor portion and integral side walls; I upstanding therefrom and integral ramp portions extending outwardly and downwardly therefrom, a generally channel shaped liner 25 member having a flat floor'portion and integral sidewalls upstanding therefrom and the liner member being positioned withinthe base member with its floor' portion resting on the floor portion of the base'memberand the side walls of the liner member parallel to and spaced from the corresponding side wallsof' thebasemem ber, and a generally channel shaped roof mema. ber having'a flat main portion and integral side walls depending therefrom, the side walls of the 35 roof member being respectively :positioned be tween a side wall of the liner member and a side continuous so as to 'comprisea sequence of short lengths. r

wall of the base member.

' V 3. In a conduit assembly for housing c'onductors andto" be installed 'on' a substantially plane 40.- supporting surfacethe combination with a substantiallytubular conduit .proper'of a base'meme ber therefor provided with a main portion hav-i.

ing a channel recess therein to receive and. hold 1 the conduit proper and having lateral ramp 45; members to facilitate passage of objects over the assembly. I 4. In a conduit assembly for housing conductors and to be installedonasubstantially plane supporting surface, the combination with a base 50':

member having a central'main portion formed with a channel. recess and'the base member being formed with'lateral ramps to facilitate passage of objects over the assembly, of a ubstane tially tubular conduit member'embedded in th 55;

channel recess. r

5. In a conduitassembly for'housin'gzconductors and to' be installed on a substantially plane supporting surface, the, combination with a base member having a central main portion formed 7611;- with a channel recess and the base member being formed with lateral ramps tofacilitate passage 7 of objects. over the assembly, of a substantially tubular conduit member embedded in thech'an:

nel recess and comprising a pair; of chan'ne'lsg:

shaped 'units telescoped the one into the other.

AQ A sLE En, 

